Tips for Growing Aloe Vera Outdoors

No matter where you live, you can grow aloe vera indoors. But what if you want to plant it out in the garden?

If you’re located in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11, you’re in luck – you can add this beautiful, beneficial succulent to your yard.

For more history, background, and full cultivation instructions for growing aloe vera, check out our guide.

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This article will cover how to grow the spiky succulent outdoors specifically, and why you might want to.

Here’s what we’ll discuss:

Aloe vera is a member of the Asphodelaceae family, which includes asphodel and red-hot poker plants (Kniphofia spp).

This plant is famous for the gel inside the succulent leaves, which has soothed many a minor burn throughout history. The long, spiky leaves grow 24-39 inches long from a short stem.

If you grow this succulent outdoors, you can reap the benefits of the soothing gel. And thanks to this gel, aloe vera requires very little water to grow.

Actually called the “mesophyll” layer of the leaf, the gel supplies moisture to the aloe between waterings.

Thanks to this exceptional level of drought tolerance, aloe vera makes an excellent addition to a low-water garden or xeriscape. You can also grow it in lieu of low shrubs to adorn your foundation plantings, or place it in window boxes for a pleasing effect.

Since aloe can be cultivated indoors year-round, you may be wondering what the advantage of growing it outdoors could be.

Besides being an excellent option for xeriscaping in drought-prone and desert climates, there’s an added bonus: Flowers.

That’s right. Aloe vera grown indoors doesn’t receive